


Adequate

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Brady just wants to be accepted, F/F, Family Feels, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Maribelle regrets future her's life choices, Mother-Son Relationship, Parents As People, Well Done Son Guy, parenting is hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 12:12:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14260722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: In which Brady feels like he's not good enough, Lissa feels sorry for him, and Maribelle questions her future self's parenting skills.





	Adequate

**Author's Note:**

> Fire Emblem: Awakening, Maribelle/Lissa: kidfic - proud to have a son like you.

If there was one thing Lissa would change about her wife, it was her need to make their boys perfect gentlemen. She knew Maribelle meant well, there _were_ some situations where good manners and proper diction were important. Plus, it was for the good of them all that she'd gotten Owain to stop waving his utensils and calling out random catchphrases before every bite.

Of course, Owain had always been the slightly more confident of the two. He was sensitive to criticism, and he got annoyed by people trying to make him change, but he bounced back quickly enough. Brady, on the other hand, would get defensive and be in a foul mood for days, refusing to even look at Maribelle or anyone else and only coming out of his room for meals or to bathe.

"It aint my fault this's how I'm more comfortable talking! It's too much effort, tryin' to be Mr. Wordsy all the time!" he griped this particular morning as he helped Lissa dry the breakfast dishes. "Why does Ma always gotta be so picky? Aint I good enough for her the way I am?" He sounded so close to tears on those last words that Lissa's heart ached.

"Whenever I tell you to do something, you get mad, but..."

"But _you_ never make me feel like I aint good enough," he finished. "I know Ma gets on Owain, too, but lately it seems like she just shrugs off his crap, like _oh, there he goes again, so embarrassing, but what can I do about it._ Meanwhile, I try to be all nice and work on the violin and all, but she still scolds me! I mean, I know I'm kinda royalty, but Uncle Chrom isn't all fancy and no one gets on _his_ case!"

"Oh, Brady..." She led him over to the table so he could sit down, making it easier to hug him. Brady buried his face in her shoulder, sniffling.

"I wish she liked me for me, y'know? I mean, you saw what happened when we met again at the shrine! She thought I was a bandit, accused me of stealin' her ring!"

"But she was happy to see you after all that cleared up, remember? She was so happy she was crying," Lissa offered.

"Yeah, then she started going on about proper diction, standing up straight, all that junk." He was crying now, and as much as her heart ached for him, she felt slightly uncomfortable reflecting on this huge flaw of Maribelle's. Mainly because if Brady got into the habit of crying to her about everything it would drive a wedge between him and Maribelle.

Besides, she knew Maribelle better than anyone. She was prickly, overbearing, and bossy, but deep down she was a loving woman who just wanted the best for everyone. The problem was getting her to show it better.

"Sweetie," she finally said, stroking his back, "I don't think _I'm_ the one you should be having this conversation with." Brady sniffled, pulling back and wiping his nose on his sleeve. (A habit she didn't blame Maribelle for wanting to break him of.)

"Talk to Ma about it?! But...but what if she gets mad at me? Thinks I'm just whining or tryin' to get out of more lessons? You know how she gets when she doesn't get her way!"

"Now, Brady, you know your mother better than that," Lissa chided, hugging him closer. "Just be honest about your feelings. She loves you better than you realize, and the last thing she'd want to do is hurt you."

"You think?"

"I _know._ I've known your mother since we were very young children, and underneath all the prickly bossiness she's a sweet and loving person," Lissa said. "I promise, she'll understand."

After a few more moments, Brady splashed his face with cold water and stood up straight.

"Here goes nothing."

 

Contrary to what her son believed, Maribelle wasn't blind to his feelings. Anytime he became defensive and sullen and wouldn't look her in the eye for days, she knew she'd gone overboard with her criticism.

The trouble was, part of her didn't want to admit she'd been wrong all this time. All the effort she'd put into trying to make him a model gentleman would have been for naught, all of that time wasted. Few things felt worse and more humiliating than wasted time.

_But what's the point of it all if he's so unhappy? I thought perhaps it would be easier with him, he's less...colorful than Owain._

Lissa was worried, too. Even when she didn't say a word, Maribelle just _knew_ ; she could read her wife like a book, after all. Even Owain had looked bothered this morning, he hadn't even bothered with his usual chatter to distract from the sour mood.

Before she could further ponder the matter, though, the door to the barracks opened. Brady entered stiffly, arms at his sides, looking tense and unhappy. He'd been crying, despite his best efforts to hide it.

"Ma? I gotta talk to you. And don't get on me about proper words and junk, cause this is important!" Maribelle felt her hackles raise for a moment, how dare he accuse her before she even opened her mouth? But then she remembered how upset he'd looked that morning at breakfast, and held her temper.

"Of course, dear."

"Look, about all these gentleman lessons...I get it, y'know? A prince's gotta act proper, people judge you by how you talk and hold your fork and junk, but...but that stuff just aint for me, okay? It's stiff and awkward and I can never get any of it right and I just hate it!"

"I thought as much," Maribelle said.

"I aint done." Brady looked away for a moment, fidgeting with his collar. "The thing is, Ma...when you get on me about how anyone who talks all informal's some kinda grunting ape, or when ya compare me to barbarians and pirates and stuff..." He bit his lip, sniffling. "It makes me feel bad! Like I aint good enough to be your kid!"

_Oh._

For a moment, Maribelle wanted to assume he meant to make her feel guilty. But he was avoiding her gaze again, as though he expected her to snap at him. His shoulders were shaking, and she could sense it had taken a lot of courage for him to say what he just did.

He meant it, and Maribelle felt guiltier than she ever had. _A person's words reflect their character, and mine have been nothing but critical._ She hadn't meant to hurt him, she'd only had his best interests at heart, but she'd never stopped, really stopped, to think of how it might be affecting _him._

Had the Maribelle of the future been such a terrible mother?

_How can I even begin to apologize? If my future self did this kind of damage, how do I undo it?_

She settled for the only thing she could think of, and hugged him close. It was awkward, him being so much taller than her, but she sighed with relief when he hugged her back.

"I'm sorry, Ma! I know I'm sounding whiny, you're just tryin' to do what's best for me-"

"No. Brady, I'm the one who needs to apologize," she gently cut him off. "But that's not enough in my book...instead, I want to tell you I'm proud of you." He sniffled.

"Really? Y'are?"

"Yes. No matter how roughly you speak, because no matter how rough you try to act, I know what a good and gentle boy you are underneath," she said. "One of the reasons your mother and I trained you as a healer was to ensure you grew up with a caring heart and sympathy for those in need, and in that sense, I know we've succeeded." She pulled out her handkerchief and wiped at his face, and Brady squirmed in embarrassment.

"Ma, stop, I can do that myself!" But he didn't stop her. "I thought you just wanted to protect me. You were always mollycoddling me, cause I wasn't strong like Owain."

"Well, I was wrong. Those villagers told me all you did for them," Maribelle said. "My own mother always told me that actions speak louder than words, and your actions are those of a truly gentle man." She hugged him again. "I'm proud to have a son like you."

"Aww, Ma...!"

"N-now don't you start crying again! You'll get me started!" Maribelle sniffled, blinking back tears. "Listen, honey, it's such a lovely day. Why don't we gather your mother and Owain so we can go and pick wildflowers?"

"Heh, why not?" Brady smiled. "The barracks could always use a little more color, right? Especially after all this rain we've had."

"Indeed!"

Moments later, the family of four was happily walking towards the meadow, savoring the sunlight, a great weight lifted off four sets of shoulders.


End file.
